


Somewhere Down the Line

by Shepard_Vakarian



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adopted Children, Aftermath, Babies, Consequences, Destroy Ending, Epilogue, Established Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Happy Ending, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Next Generation, No Shepard Without Vakarian, Post-Mass Effect 3, Shakarian - Freeform, Shepard Survives (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24864997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shepard_Vakarian/pseuds/Shepard_Vakarian
Summary: The battle against the Reapers is won, and against all odds, Shepard has survived. What is the state of the world she has awaken in? Where has her crew ended up? Most importantly, will she get her happy ending with Garrus? This is a Shakarian-themed epilogue to the Mass Effect Trilogy, as imagined by me.
Relationships: Brynn Cole/Jacob Taylor, EDI/Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Female Shepard & Garrus Vakarian, Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Javik/Liara T'Soni, Jeff "Joker" Moreau/Original Character(s), Kaidan Alenko/Steve Cortez, Samantha Traynor/Original Character(s), Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya/Original Male Character(s), Urdnot Bakara | Eve/Urdnot Wrex
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. I Was Lost Without You

_“Shepard.”_

A noise in the dark; a voice she recognized from what seemed like an eternity ago.

_“Shepard.”_

There it was again. Persistent, she thought. But misguided. Shepard was dead.

_“_ _Shepard, you did your duty. But there’s one last thing you need to do.”_

No. No. No NO. NONONO. She retreated further into the darkness. What more did they want from her? What more did she have left to give? She had already given her life- surely that was enough.

_“_ _Shepard, it’s time to wake up.”_

Wake up? She would laugh if she had a mouth, a voice. How could the dead wake up? Death was a permanent sleep. Everyone knew that.

_“Shepard, you’ve done it before.”_

Suddenly, there was a point of light in the dark as she remembered. The voice was right; had she not awakened from death once before? Had she not left this place before? The memory shone faintly, but it was light nonetheless. She moved towards it.

_“Shepard,”_ The voice was stronger now. _“Shepard, come back to us. Come back to me.”_

The light grew larger and brighter as slowly, faces and names joined the first memory.

Kaidan Alenko.

Ashley Williams.

Jeff “Joker” Moreau.

Urdnot Wrex.

Tali’Zorah vas Normandy.

Liara T’soni.

EDI.

Miranda Lawson.

Jacob Taylor.

Samara.

Urdnot Grunt.

Jack.

Thane Krios.

Kasumi Goto.

Zaeed Massani.

Legion.

Mordin Solus.

James Vega.

Steve Cortez.

Samantha Traynor.

Javik.

With each face and name, the light grew stronger; it was soon to overwhelm the dark. Her eyes hurt, but she kept moving towards it. Finally, one last face and memory flooded the dark, drowning it all away with the brightest, greatest light yet.

Garrus Vakarian.

_“Shepard, I need you. Shepard, I love you.”_

Commander Shepard’s eyes opened.

* * *

Garrus was right there to see the great Commander Shepard open her eyes for the first time in over half a year. Of course, to him she was just Shepard, though just wasn’t the right word for her, because she was the love of his life. It was his voice that coaxed her from the dark and quiet of her coma. He hadn’t known what to say when the nurses told him to try talking to her, not at first. But then he thought of what he would want to hear if their roles were switched, and suddenly the right words came to him.

When her blue eyes opened, a moment of perfect clarity washed over Garrus, and two things became clear. One, he would do everything in his power to ensure Shepard was never taken from him again. Two, he loved Shepard with everything in him, and he wanted to be with her for the rest of their lives.

Relief followed this moment of clarity, a wave of relief and happiness and hope. The most he had ever felt before, cynic that he was. The nurses rushed around the couple, yelling for a doctor, exclaiming to one another, barking commands. But they faded around the lovers, cloudy shapes and forms, because how could they see anyone else? Their eyes, nearly the same shade of blue, gazed into the others. Garrus took Shepard’s limp hand in his own, and brought it gently to his face.

“Shepard,” he breathed. “Shepard, you’re home.”

He turned her hand in his and kissed her palm reverently, eyes never once leaving her face. A tiny smile creased Shepard’s face. With great effort, she opened her mouth, and the first word on her lips since coming back to life yet again, was a name. His name.

“Garrus.” She whispered, and her eyes flooded, with pure, bounding, unadulterated joy.

“I’m home.” She agreed.

* * *

It was a while before Shepard could see any of her other crew members, though Garrus promised they were all very anxious to see her. He wasn’t technically supposed to be in there with her either, but the hospital staff made an exception. Garrus never said, but Shepard was pretty sure intimidation was why he got a pass. Either way, he rarely left her bedside, which Shepard was glad for. She never wanted to not see his face again.

“I’m done with dying,” she told him jokingly as they sat in her room together. It was a few days since Shepard had opened her eyes, and surprising her caretakers, who said it should be impossible, she was already sitting up and could move her hands and arm on her own. She still couldn’t walk or leave the bed without help, but there was no doubt in her mind that she would get there. Someday.

“You’d better be,” Garrus replied. He was sitting by her bed, and she was sitting up against the pillows, eating the hospital food that she was already tired of. They were quiet for a bit. Garrus took Shepard’s free hand and stroked it with his thumb. In the few days since Shepard had been up, they hadn’t had much opportunity to talk about anything important. While the staff conceded that Garrus could stay with Shepard, they warned him not to talk too much or to say anything that might upset her. Her health is still delicate, they told him. She needs time to readjust.

Shepard _hated_ it. She wanted to talk about what had happened, to find out what Garrus and the rest of her friends and been doing in the last few months, to see what had happened as the result of her choice to destroy the Reapers.

“So, while we’re here and alone,” Shepard began, pushing the last bit of food away. The nurses would scold her, tell her she needed to eat for her strength, but she didn’t want anymore to eat. “I wanted to talk about what all happened while I was out. Like, what happened in the galaxy in the aftermath of the Reapers? What did you and all our friends do? Stuff like that.” She looked at Garrus beseechingly.

He hesitated. “I don’t know, Shepard. You heard those nurses. They sounded pretty serious.”

Shepard rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Garrus. Scared of a few nurses?” She teased, before becoming serious. “Look, I really need to know. I need to know where I stand, especially before our friends get here.” _Especially Joker_ , she thought grimly. “I know not all of the news may be good, but I can take it. I’ve taken a lot worse than bad news in my time.”

“Well, alright,” Garrus said, giving in. “what did you want to know?”

Shepard’s eyes gleamed as she settled back against her pillows.

“Everything. Start from the top.”

* * *

The world had been saved via Shepard’s actions, but it had also been thrust into chaos. All tech featuring synthetic intelligence or Reaper design had crashed.

“ _That_ caused quite a mess,” Garrus remarked ruefully, a half smile ghosting to life on his face nonetheless. He then became sober. “It...didn’t discriminate. EDI’s gone, Shepard.”

Shepard looked down, and twisted the sheets in her hands.

“Shepard?” Garrus murmured.

“I knew that would happen,” Shepard muttered guiltily. “When I made my choice…the- Catalyst- told me it wouldn’t. And, I knew EDI would be included. As well as the geth, Liara’s Glyph…” Shepard drew up her knees, wrapping her arms around them. If there had been one good thing about the coma, it was that she didn’t have to answer difficult questions, and she didn’t have to feel the crushing weight of guilt.

Garrus was quiet for a moment. Finally, he queried, “Choice?”

Shepard made herself meet Garrus’ questioning gaze. “Choice.” She confirmed.

She explained in detail about the Catalyst and the form it took for her, as well as the three choices that had been offered to her.

“I knew choosing to destroy the Reapers would still come with a lot of repercussions,” Shepard told Garrus, “Like losing EDI.” She looked down at the sheets. “EDI was my friend. I didn’t want to lose her. I didn’t want to lose any of you. But, destroying the Reapers was what I had gone there to do. And the other choices, they had their own repercussions. To control the Reapers meant too many unknown variables. It would mean giving up my life for something that might not have even worked. As for synthesis, who am I to choose to merge organics and synthetics?” Shepard shook her head, and her eyes began filling with tears of frustration and guilt. “Would that even create peace? What if it only worked for some? What if…”

“Shh Shh Shh,” Garrus murmured soothingly, gathering Shepard in his arms. He breathed into the sweet red tangle of her hair, and let her sob for a moment, not having to explain herself.

“I would have made the same choice,” Garrus told Shepard in a low voice. “Destroying the Reapers is what we set out to do. And of course,” he added, stroking Shepard’s hair fondly, “I have more selfish reasons. Those other choices sound like they involve you dying, with this time no Cerberus to put you back together.”

“Yeah.” Shepard confirmed, sounding tired.

“This way, I get to be with you a little longer.” He looked down at the top of Shepard’s head. “I need you alive.”

“Joker probably would have said the same thing about EDI.” Shepard said quietly.

Garrus sighed. “You can’t tell Joker you had choices. He’s been...pretty upset about losing her.”

Shepard shook her head and drew away from Garrus’ arms. “No. I need to tell him. He deserves to know.” She looked out the window, and saw that the trees and grass were starting to grow back from the scorched Earth, little pokes of green in the blackened wasteland.“They all do.”

“It’s your choice,” Garrus replied. “No idea what the outcome will be, though.”

Shepard just shook her head darkly. “Keep going?” She asked.

So Garrus did.

“The Normandy crash landed on a planet just outside the Sol Cluster. Lucky for us, it was habitable, because we were stuck there for a while.We knew that the Reapers had been destroyed, and we also knew you were the cause.” He hesitated. “So the natural conclusion was that you had died. We...held a memorial service on board. Not just for you, but for Anderson and EDI as well.”

Garrus stopped here, and shook his head, his grip tightening on Shepard’s hand. He took a minute to compose himself, and Shepard was quiet. She knew if their spots had been reversed that this would have been a hard memory for her, as it seemed to be for Garrus.

Finally, with a shuddering breath, Garrus continued on. “We had a plaque with your name on it. Everyone decided I ought to be the one who put your name up there, considering, well, you know. We were going to put yours up last. But Shepard, when I walked up to the Memorial Wall...I couldn’t do it. Something in me was stopping me, was telling me to hold on. I was reminded that you had survived certain death before. If anyone could have survived the destruction of the Reapers, I knew it would be you.”

Shepard’s eyes welled up again and she wordlessly outstretched her arms. Garrus fell into them, and for a long time they simply held each other.

“Didn’t I tell you? You’d never be alone,” Shepard murmured.

“Never,” Garrus reaffirmed. He squeezed her tightly, gathering strength in her slender form to continue.

“Surprisingly, no one pushed too hard about it. We all wanted you to be alive, and we were all gonna hold out hope until there was no way we could anymore. Not long after, we managed to get the ship back up, all of us working together. But when we got back into space, we ran into another problem.”

“The mass relays?” Shepard guessed.

“Yeah,” Garrus confirmed. “It was damaged, severely so. But lucky for us, once we got back in space, we were able to establish contact with the Alliance. They told us that all of the relays were damaged, but they were working tirelessly to fix them, and would stay in touch with us as they figured out how.”

“I know they must have succeeded, because you’re here, but how on earth…?” Shepard mused. “It must have been hard. We’ve never understood them fully.”

“The saving grace, as I hear it, was that while they were very damaged, they were not completely wiped out,” Garrus answered. “They were still intact, so there was still a design to work with. Not too terribly unlike the Crucible. With the scientists we helped gather for the Crucible, they began work as soon as possible. The Quarians and Salarians helped too, on their side of things. The Salarians in particular took on a lot of the responsibility.”

“Hmm,” was all Shepard said, but it was enough.

“Yeah, I know. They got a lot of backlash for their lack of help against the Reapers. From every front- humans, turians, asari, and krogan were all very critical of the Salarians’ selfish approach. Apparently, there was even talk of taking away their council seat.” Garrus shrugged. “Not sure if there’s any truth to that, but it put their asses in gear. They announced they would be focusing all their efforts in repairing the crashed technology, starting with the mass relays. Frankly, it was a win-win; because they stayed so neutral in the war, they still had a lot of resources to put into this research, so they were the best candidates for taking the helm. Furthermore, they needed to redeem themselves.”

“I’m guessing they did?” Shepard asked.

Garrus nodded. “Definitely. They managed to get the relays back to limited functionality in the span of about six months. Only military ships and absolutely necessary travel was permitted at first, but the Normandy fit that, so we navigated our way back to Earth as soon as we were able.”

“And how soon before you found out I was alive?” Shepard questioned.

“Three days before you woke back up,” Garrus answered grimly.

Shepard’s eyebrows shot up. “That soon?”

“From what I’ve been told, it was a few days before your body was even found,” Garrus replied. “You were buried under some rubble, at the heart of the destruction. They didn’t even realize you were alive at first, you were so beat up.”

Shepard knew this was likely true, as she touched her face. Nothing hurt, but it would have then if she had been conscious. New scars now marred her face; when she had first looked in a mirror since waking up, she had joked to Garrus, “We’re twins, now.” Many of her bones had been broken; her armor and cybernetics had protected her vital organs, but it couldn’t save everything. She still couldn’t walk or move her legs without assistance. Ruefully, Shepard reminded herself that she was still lucky. She could have very easily been one of the dead.

“When they did,” Garrus continued, “you were rushed to a makeshift hospital first. You were one of many, and since none of us were around to claim you, you became lost in the crowd for a time.” “I imagine people thinking I was dead helped with that,” Shepard remarked drily. “Probably. You didn’t have your dog tags either, and your armor had been destroyed, so they had no way of knowing you were even Alliance. They just treated you as one of the unknowns. Eventually, after about three months, you were one of the last unclaimed, and the staff wanted to know why. They thought you were probably a soldier given where you were found, and the fact that you were found in armor, that it was destroyed notwithstanding. So they contacted the Alliance, and told them they might have one of their people. They were spread pretty thin at that point; a lot of people died in the war, and there was just so much destruction to deal with. Still, they sent someone down, and luckily for us he recognized you. They had to be sure, though, so Admiral Hackett came down himself to verify, and they tested your identifiers against the records they had for you. Both confirmed it was you.”

“Admiral Hackett made it?” Shepard asked, perking up.

“He sure did,” Garrus affirmed affectionately. “So they moved you to an Alliance hospital, and recognized you as having survived.”

“So how come you didn’t know about me until a few days before I woke up?” Shepard asked, frowning.

Garrus shrugged, looking frustrated and moody. “They gave some excuse about not wanting to put the news out over the airways just yet. So it wasn’t until last week when we landed that we found out.”

Shepard leaned back against her pillows thoughtfully. She could sort of understand the Alliance’s gesture. If they announced that she was alive only for her to die not long after, then what sort of hope did that inspire in people? There may also be people who would want to take advantage of her vegetative state, if they knew about it. She wasn’t sure why exactly the Alliance made that call, but she realized that if it were Garrus, and if it was the Turian Hierarchy that was hiding him, Shepard would be pissed too.

“And then of course, there was red tape once we did find out. Naturally we all wanted to come see you immediately, but they weren’t allowing any visitors. They told us you were in a coma and were “delicate.”

“Never heard that word used to describe me,” Shepard commented, frowning.

“Who could unless you were in a coma?” Garrus joked, before becoming serious. “We went back and forth for a few days before they finally relented and let me come to see you. It was your Admiral Hackett who gave the O.K.” Garrus looked sheepish here. “It seems some anonymous source told him I was your boyfriend and that we were madly in love? His words when he gave his consent, not mine.” Garrus blushed the way Shepard had learned turians do, their face plates becoming tinged with blue. “Though, they weren’t wrong. Just wasn’t really prepared to hear your boss say that.”

“Liara!” Shepard growled, then laughed throatily. “Oh, this has her written all over it.”

“You may be right,” Garrus chuckled. “We’ll have to get her back for that one. Either way, it worked. He said that as your partner, legal or otherwise, I had the all-clear to visit you, in case things suddenly went south, I guess. I’m sure he wasn’t anticipating you waking up to the sound of my voice,” Garrus teased, chucking Shepard lightly under the chin.

“And were you?” Shepard countered with a smile.

“I wanted to believe it would,” Garrus replied, looking down. “So I said what I thought I’d want to hear, were our roles switched.”

Shepard raised Garrus’ chin so that their eyes could meet. “Thank you.” She replied simply, and the couple exchanged a tender kiss.

“Soo...how soon do you think until we can, ah…?” Shepard stated suggestively, after pulling away from Garrus. She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Can we….?” Garrus replied, feigning ignorance. “What, tango again? Have a shooting contest? Do some calibrations? I’m not following here, Shepard.”

She swung her pillow at him, hitting his shoulder. “I’ll calibrate you!” She hit him repeatedly as they laughed, Garrus play-cowering under the soft thumps of her pillow. Eventually they calmed down.

“Ahh...probably not until you have control over your legs again, Shepard,” Garrus replied seriously.

Shepard nodded, resigned to her momentary celibacy. “I thought that might be the case.”

They were quiet for a moment, before Shepard brightened back up. “Guess that means I need to begin my physical therapy ASAP!”

Garrus smiled. “You giant dork.” Then, quietly, sincerely, “I love you.”

Shepard smiled at Garrus, and placed her hand on his cheek. “How long I’ve been waiting to hear that.” She leaned in, and the couple exchanged another kiss, a kiss that was long, slow, sweet, and full of gratitude for fate and the funny ways it worked sometimes.


	2. We Face Our Enemy Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Shepard is reunited with her former crew; this includes coming clean to Joker and facing the consequences. Garrus makes a big decision.

Shepard learned through Garrus that all of her former crew and friends, with the exception of EDI, had survived the final clash with the Reapers. All those who had been with her as crew during the battle were still on the Normandy, which was docked as near to her hospital as it could be.

“Once you woke up, they got the word out somehow to the rest of our friends.” Garrus explained to Shepard as she leaned against him. He was helping her to her wheelchair. She had just finished her first physical therapy session, and the results looked promising. Now, she had been allowed to see her crew, so long as they came to the hospital.

“I suspect Liara, once again,” Garrus continued, shaking his head. “Those connections of hers as the Shadow Broker, I guess.”

“Mmhm,” Shepard replied distractedly. She was staring into space, and Garrus took immediate notice. He leaned down and rested his fingers lightly on Shepard’s cheek.

“Worried about Joker?” He asked, though he already knew the answer.

Shepard nodded.

“I still think you shouldn’t tell him,” Garrus said gently. “What good will it do now, except open old wounds?”

“Sometimes wounds need to be reopened to fully heal,” Shepard said grimly. “Joker’s my friend, and EDI was too. He deserves to know the truth.”

“Okay, it’s your call Shepard.” A pause, and then, “When did you plan on telling him?”

“When I can get him alone,” Shepard replied, her eyes set with the fierce determination that Garrus had learned long ago meant that she would not be dissuaded. He squeezed her shoulder in solidarity and comfort, and wheeled her away to go see their friends.

* * *

Liara was the first to notice the couple walk in. “Shepard!” She gasped, jumping up from the chair she had been perched upon.

The rest of the crew stood then, crying out Shepard’s name in delight. Shepard, despite her nervousness about what she had to tell Joker, felt a sense of joy and relief wash over her. She had lived to see her friends again, and they had lived to see her. She looked around at all of their smiling faces and felt a fierce, familial sort of love. These were the people who had followed her to hell and back. This was her family; the Normandy family.

Then came the reunions. Liara, Tali, Steve, James, and Samantha stormed Shepard, and wrapped her in a group hug. For a long moment Shepard was lost among a tangle of arms and laughing, smiling faces.

The others who were less inclined to give out hugs nonetheless offered their own greetings.

Grunt and Wrex grabbed Shepard’s arm, as gently as they could, and extolled her strength. Wrex told her she had the biggest quad of them all.

Javik loudly told anyone who would listen that in his cycle, people didn’t come back from the dead _twice._

Kaidan gave her a salute that would have been the picture of military propriety, if it hadn’t been for the wide grin on his face.

Miranda touched Shepard’s shoulder and remarked with a hint of pride at how well her cybernetics had held up, and that Shepard was tough to kill.

Jacob gave Shepard a warm handshake and excitedly told her about his new baby, a baby girl that he had managed to convince Brynn _not_ to name Shepard.

Samara gave Shepard a little bow and told her she was glad that the universe had decided it was not done with her.

Jack, who felt that she could not rightly punch Shepard, instead punched Garrus and crowed that Shepard was one tough bitch.

Kasumi appeared out of thin air and cheerfully announced that she was glad Shepard was back among the living before cloaking herself once more.

Zaeed told Shepard she was “a goddamn focking legend.”

Finally, it was time for her to face Joker. She turned to him, where he had hung back in the group. A fresh feeling of guilt hit her like a sucker punch when she saw just how depressed he looked. He didn’t look at all like the, well, “Joker” she remembered.

“Hey, Shepard,” He said when she turned to him. “Glad you’re back up, too bad we don’t have anymore Reapers to throw you at.” He paused, and Shepard saw him try to put on fresh bravado. “EDI would have been here, but uh...she didn’t make it.” He hung his head, and the room became quiet. Awkwardly so, pregnant with tension.

“Er, yeah...I’m sorry Joker.” Thinking that now was as good a time as any, she added, “Why don’t we take a walk? Garrus, everyone, we won’t take too long.”

Garrus gave her one last pitying look, and released his hold on her wheelchair. Shepard wheeled herself away, Joker following along with a puzzled expression.

“What’s that about?” James murmured, looking after them.

“They have a lot to talk about,” Garrus replied. “And I guess while she explains to him, I should explain to all of you as well.”

So he did.

* * *

“What’re we doing out here, Shepard? We’re missing the party.” Joker asked, once Shepard had stopped in the hospital courtyard. This was probably the only thing she liked about the hospital; in this courtyard, flowers and trees grew where they didn’t elsewhere. A bench stood alone under a tree that had survived the Reapers, and Shepard wheeled over there. She was quiet until Joker sat down.

“I wanted to talk to you, Joker. Alone.”

“I mean, it’s not much of a party, but still. Talking to me has got to be a lot lamer.” Joker responded, a ghost of his old humor in his voice before quickly becoming extinguished.

“It’s about EDI,” Shepard went on, looking at her lap.

“Oh man, not you too,” Joker groaned. “Look, Shepard, I appreciate the thought but really? I don’t need your condolences.” He shook his head. “Everyone keeps saying how sorry they are for me. But it’s not true, is it? Not entirely. Because behind that sorry they’re all just relieved it wasn’t their partner or their family.” His voice broke, and he looked away, before continuing softly. “It wasn’t just EDI, you know? I got the news when we landed. My dad and sister are dead too.”

Shepard felt like the air had been knocked out of her. Her stomach in knots, she began without thinking.

“Joker, I’m so so-” She caught herself, remembering what he had just said.

Gently, she laid her hand on Joker’s arm. For a long moment they sat there quietly, Shepard hoping her touch offered Joker at least some small comfort. Before she had to add to his grief.

“Joker...I don’t know how to tell you this.” Shepard finally began. She made herself look at him head-on. It was the least he deserved. “EDI’s death...it’s my fault.”

Joker looked back at Shepard, then looked quickly away. His voice came out robotic, rehearsed. “It’s not your fault. Who could have known that destroying the Reapers would mean the end of all synthetic life? You did what you had to do, what we set out to do.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you though, Joker.” Shepard replied, slowly. She took a deep breath. “I...learned beforehand that synthetic life would be wiped out. It was the condition of destroying the Reapers. And Joker, you deserve to know,” her words came out in a rush now. “I had a choice...three of them. The two others involved controlling the Reapers or synthesizing synthetic and organic life. They both involved giving up my life and a whole lot of unknowns. In the end...I chose destruction.” She hung her head. “EDI was my friend, Joker, and so are you. I stand by my decision, but I’m sorry I had to make it. I’m so sorry.”

Joker was silent for a long time. Shepard knew better than to fill the silence with more talk. Instead she sat quietly, and watched the storm erupt on his face.

“No you’re not.” He finally said, his voice a low rumble. He shot a look of pure anger and hate at Shepard, and she felt her heart sink. “You’re not my friend, and you weren’t EDI’s.” He got up and in Shepard’s face. “I can’t believe I followed someone so _selfish_! You never cared for EDI like I did, none of you did! She was just a tool for you! But she meant something, Shepard! Her life meant something!”

He took his SR-2 cap off and threw it at Shepard’s feet. “I’m done,” he announced in a growl, and stalked off as much as his Vrolik’s disease would allow. “Find yourself a new pilot, Shepard. And a new friend.” He called over his shoulder, leaving Shepard behind and feeling like the most awful person in the galaxy.

* * *

Later that night, after all her friends had left, Shepherd cried her frustration, guilt, and grief out into Garrus’ shoulder. He held her and stroked her hair, knowing better than to tell her it was alright, or that everything was going to end up okay, because that wasn’t what she needed. Right now, she just needed an anchor to prevent her from floating away, and he would be that for her.

She sobbed for a long while. Not just about what had happened with Joker, but over what had happened these past nearly four years. She had lost so much, and sacrificed so much. Ashley, Mordin, Thane, Legion, and EDI were all gone, in part because of her decisions. Her mistakes.

“I should have died,” Shepard whispered into Garrus’ shoulder, so quiet he almost didn’t hear her.

“I should have done so many things differently. It should have been me.”

Garrus pulled away from Shepard, his hands firmly grasping her shoulder as he looked into her eyes. “Don’t ever say that,” He told her fiercely. “Shepard, you saved the world. You did all you could, gave all you had.” He shook his head. “We all knew the risks, we all made our choices. We can’t take them back now. And, Shepard,” he swallowed hard, and looked away. “I’m glad you made the decision you did. No option was perfect, but at least with this one, you live.” He touched her cheek. “Hearing we had beat the Reapers was a relief, sure. But it wasn’t until I heard you were alive that I felt truly hopeful again. You living is something I want to celebrate everyday until my last...so don’t ever say you wish it had been your life on the line.” He kissed Shepard tenderly. She sniffled and pulled at Garrus until he was laying in her narrow hospital bed too. She lay against his chest, and he held her tight.

“That’s part of what makes me feel so guilty.” She murmured. “I’m happy I lived too. Happy that I can see a future with you.” Garrus’ heart swelled. He kissed the top of Shepard’s head.

“Get some sleep, Shepard. You have a long day of physical therapy tomorrow.” As she drifted fretfully into the peaceful embrace of sleep, Garrus held Shepard against him, his mind working and thinking late into the night. There was something he needed to ask James, or Kaidan, or Steve, one of the human men as soon as he was able. He squeezed Shepard, and fell asleep with the image of her nestled into the crook of his arm emblazoned in his mind.


	3. I'm Proud of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard recovers in the hospital and uses the time to reconnect with her crew and find out their future plans, as well as what they have been up to while she was out. Garrus plots with James.

  
Several weeks passed before Shepard could begin to walk unaided. Even still, she was stiff, slow, and wobbly- she wasn’t storming battlefields any time soon. However, the hospital staff was pleased with her progress, and told her they would be discharging her soon. Shepard couldn’t wait, and her palpable excitement was an amusement to Garrus and the rest of her friends, who continued to visit individually when Shepard was not in therapy. 

Garrus had explained Shepard’s decision and the other options that had been available to her to the group while Shepard talked with Joker alone. Most of them, like Garrus, agreed that destruction was the best option. They sympathised with Joker, and understood his frustration; however, even the few who thought the other options were more attractive agreed that they were happy that Shepard was alive because of her choice, and none argued against her. 

“I could try talking to him for you,” Liara offered on one of her visits.

Shepard shook her head, and sipped the special asari tea Liara had brought for her. “No, don’t. I don’t want him angry at you, either.” She looked out the window and sighed. “It was my choice. And he has a right to be angry with me.”

Liara touched Shepard’s arm comfortingly. “Shepard, I’m sorry you ever had to make such a choice. I know it doesn’t help much, but I’m proud of you. We all are.” She smiled, a little sadly. “We will all miss EDI. But I think she’d be happy knowing her sacrifice meant the destruction of the Reapers.”

“I suppose we’ll never know.” Shepard replied, and Liara had no answer for this. Instead, she changed the subject.

“I’m sure you must be happy seeing Garrus again,” She said, a playful hint in her voice. “I know he was happy to see you. When we got the news, he practically ran from the Normandy to your hospital and shouted for them to let him see you.”

“That’s not true,” Garrus protested from his perch across the room, false indignation in his voice. “I walked at a perfectly normal pace, and when I got there, politely asked that I be permitted to see you.”

“Uh-huh,” Liara replied, smirking. “It didn’t help anyway. Only the immediate people helping you and the higher ups in the Alliance knew who you were. The poor receptionist must have been terrified out of her mind, a turian in the waiting room screaming about needing to see Commander Shepard.” 

Shepard cracked a grin and raised her eyebrows at Garrus. “Screamed huh?” 

“Well, I might have gotten a little loud there,” Garrus conceded. “But,” he added hastily. “What about you Liara? You certainly didn’t sit idly by.”

“Yeah, what about you, Liara?” Shepard said, turning to face her. “Something about telling my boss that Garrus was madly in love with me and needed to see me asap?”

Liara stuck her nose primly in the air. “I know nothing of the sort.”

Garrus rolled his eyes. “Sure, Madam Shadow Broker.”

* * *

Wrex and Grunt visited together. Shepard got the feeling that Grunt had become something of Wrex’s right-hand man. Furthermore, they both agreed that Shepard had done the right thing.  
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Wrex told Shepard, thumping her on the back. “Those pyjaks needed to be taken down.” He shoved some of the snacks he had supposedly brought for Shepard into his mouth. “‘Course, I would agree with whatever you chose. You cured the damn genophage! Joker will get over it.”

“I don’t know about that,” Shepard sighed. “He loved EDI.”

“Bah!” Was all Wrex had to say about the matter.

“Maybe we could find him a krogan girl,” Grunt volunteered. “She might break him, though.” He added, as an afterthought.

“That would certainly put a damper on their relationship.” Garrus remarked drily. 

“Anyways, how’s Bakara?” Shepard asked, changing the subject.

Wrex claimed more of the snacks. Talking with his mouth open, he replied, “Already bore our baby, a son! That’s why she couldn’t come, though she told me to tell you she’s happy you’re alive.”

“A son! Congrats, Wrex,” Shepard said, punching Wrex lightly in the arm. “What’s his name?”

Wrex scowled. “Mordin. Couldn’t talk her out of it. Still,” he admitted, “there are worse names. Like Grunt here.” He punched Grunt, who punched him back. “And he did help cure the genophage, even if he was a salarian.”

“To Mordin,” Garrus said suddenly, raising the glass of water he had been drinking.

“To Mordin,” Shepard echoed, raising her own glass.

“To Mordin!” Wrex and Grunt yelled, waving their snacks since they didn’t have a drink.

“I guess some salarians are okay,” Wrex mused, and the group continued their conversation, reminiscing on Mordin Solus and voicing hopes for the future of Urdnot Mordin. 

* * *

  
Kaidan, Steve, and Samatha visited as a group, representing the Alliance part of Shepard’s crew, besides Joker, anyhow. They brought along greetings from Dr. Chakwas, who was busy directing the medical and recovery efforts, and Engineer Adams, who had decided to retire early after the excitement of the war. They also brought news; Donelly and Daniels had eloped!

“They’re on their honeymoon now,” Kaidan said, “But they wanted you to know that they knew you’d make it out alive, no matter what.” 

“They’re so cute together,” Samantha sighed. “I hope someday I can find a love like that.”

“There’s a lot of gay bars here in London,” Steve replied. “Most have been rebuilt by now. Maybe we could go together.”

“If Traynor doesn’t take you up on that, I might,” Kaidan told Steve. She might have imagined it, but Shepard thought she felt a flicker of something pass between the two men. However, it was quickly gone.

“Well, good for them,” Shepard said, smiling. She still remembered convincing Donelly to go for it, and catching the two in the sub deck. 

“It's too bad about EDI and Joker though,” Kaidan thought aloud, in an absent-minded tone. Steve elbowed Kaidan in warning, but it was too late. Shepard hung her head as the others looked on in worry.

“Yeah...it is.” Shepard murmured. Kaidan opened his mouth, perhaps to apologize, but thought better of it. For a moment there was only an awkward silence.

“Commander,” Samantha finally ventured, “Commander, you know how much I liked EDI. We all did. She was a part of the crew, even before she got a body. We made sure to put her name up on the Memorial Wall too.” She paused, then continued on softly, “She won’t be forgotten. Her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of all synthetic life, won’t be forgotten.”

Shepard looked away, and her crew gave her the time she needed. Finally, she spoke, in a voice that was admirably only a little strangled. “The first thing I do when I go back to the Normandy will be to visit the Memorial Wall. To honor EDI, Anderson, everyone on our crew who sacrificed their lives.” She paused, and managed a small smile. “And after, we’re going to throw the biggest celebration party this galaxy has ever seen.”

“Here, here!” Garrus intoned, placing his hand on Shepard’s shoulder. 

“Will it be anything like the Citadel party? Because I might need to work on my alcohol tolerance if so,” Traynor joked.

“Bigger than that,” Shepard replied, with a true grin breaking across her freckled face. 

“You know I’m down,” Kaidan said grinning. “And in the Normandy, there’s no neighbors to complain about the noise, this time.”

“And if we really want to feel the liquor, we can always turn the gravity off,” Steve added. 

The group laughed, and the conversation changed to a light-hearted discussion of the future party they all felt was much deserved and a long time coming.

* * *

  
Tali, on one of her visits, brought a gift. 

“I made these for you, Shepard,” she said, a little shyly, and deposited the gift in Shepard's lap. It was wrapped like a Christmas present, bow and all.

“Oh, uh, thanks Tali,” Shepard responded, a little taken aback. “It’s not even my birthday yet.” 

“Consider it a “Welcome Back From Your Coma” gift,” Tali told her, crossing her arms.

Shepard chuckled. “Ah, that’s better than a birthday anyhow.” She tore open the wrapping, noting with fondness the clumsy job that had been done. Wrapping was hard even for humans. Under the wrapping was a box, and when Shepard opened the lid, her breath caught in her throat. She pulled the gifts out of the box and held them in her palm. Sitting there were life-like miniatures of Legion and EDI.

“I know it’s not the same thing,” Tali began awkwardly, twisting her hands, “but I thought you might like them, for your cabin, once you come back. I made them myself. They feature tiny internal VI’s from the technology I managed to salvage and restore while stuck on the Normandy. I programmed them to replicate EDI and Legion’s individual personalities, as best as I could. If you press the button on the back, they speak.” 

Her hands feeling heavy, Shepard pressed the tiny button on miniature Legion’s back. His head light flickered on, and the unmistakable voice of Legion stated, “Shepard-Commander.” 

With an expression of wonder, she then pressed EDI’s button. Her small limbs moved to clasp her hands behind her back. “Commander Shepard, the Normandy is running at optimal capacity.”

Garrus gave a low whistle. “It’s like a blast from the past. You really outdid yourself, Tali.” 

“Yes you did,” Shepard agreed. She swallowed hard and turned to Tali, who looked nervous even though Shepard could not see her face. “Thank you,” Shepard told her, her voice heavy with sincerity. “I’ll treasure this forever.” 

“I wish I could bring the real ones back,” Tali replied, “but this is the best I could do.”

“It’s enough,” Shepard assured Tali. For a long time the trio sat and listened quietly to the two miniatures in Shepard’s palm, the ghosts of the past.

* * *

  
Miranda and Jacob came to visit a few times, and the last time, they came together, along with Brynn, and her and Jacob’s newborn baby.

  
“Carrie Hope Taylor,” Jacob announced proudly, as he placed the baby gently into Shepard’s arms.

“She’s beautiful,” Shepard remarked admiringly, rocking the sleeping baby girl. Garrus leaned over Shepard’s shoulder and traced his finger over the baby’s cheek, admiring the smoothness. 

“I can’t believe you looked like this at one time, Shepard.” Garrus said in wonder. “So small and...soft.”

“You look like a natural there, Shepard,” Brynn teased. “You both do.”

“Yeah, any little hybrid babies in your guys’ future?” Jacob asked with a grin. “Fatherhood is one of the best experiences in life,” He told Garrus. “It feels great.”

“Biology likely wouldn’t allow that,” Miranda stated bluntly. Then, seeing Jacob and Brynn’s face, added hastily, “But adoption would work for sure.”

Garrus and Shepaed exchanged a look, and Jacob and Miranda were astonished to see their tough former crewmates blush.

“Well, actually, we kind of talked about that before the final battle,” Garrus ventured. He looked at Shepard, then quickly looked away, his face plates tinted a deep blue. “Very briefly, though.” He added hastily. 

“I said the same thing as you Miranda, that adoption might be better. If, you know, the uh, “natural” way doesn’t work.” Shepard added, her voice getting quieter as she went on. A blush spread over her cheeks and up to her hairline, making her whole head appear red, as she looked anywhere other than Garrus. 

Jacob laughed out loud, crowing, “Shepard, Garrus, are you guys _blushing_?” Miranda didn’t laugh, but she still looked amused.

Brynn frowned at her partner, and smacked his arm to quiet him. “I think that’s very sweet, Commander. And I think you two will make lovely parents, however you happen to become them.”

Miranda shook her head. “You two as parents,” she murmured. “I never would have imagined.” She smiled then, though Shepard thought it looked a little sad. “I wish you luck. And Brynn is right; a child of yours would be lucky to be raised by you.”

Shepard and Garrus were touched. Shepard smiled up at Garrus, and offered baby Carrie to him. Gently, hesitatingly, he accepted the tiny human, and looked around at the surrounding humans for confirmation that he was doing it right.

“You’re a natural too, Garrus,” Brynn said admiringly. 

“I guess I need this practice, for somewhere down the line.” Garrus replied, but was gazing at Shepard as he spoke.

She gazed back, a smile on her face. “Somewhere down the line,” she confirmed. 

* * *

  
Kasumi, Zaeed, Samara, and Jack came together on their last visit before they left Earth once more.

“The code requires me to make the journey back to Thessia and assist however I can,” Samara remarked serenely from the table she was sitting on lotus style. “But I will see you again, Shepard, whenever I can.”

“They’re rebuilding the academy,” Jack piped up, as she leaned against the door frame. “Gotta go back and keep teaching those damn kids, they’d be lost without me. Besides, they need the extra biotic power to help patch that place back up.”

“I have work to do,” Kasumi volunteered, though she did not volunteer what the work was, and the rest of them knew better than to ask.

“I’m going to Omega,” Zaeed announced, “and I’m gunna get shit-faced drunk every day and end up in bed with an asari beauty every night.”

“Sounds like you’ll all be...very busy.” Shepard managed. Then she smiled, sincerely. “I’ll miss you guys.”

Jack made a heaving sound. “Eugh, Shepard, don’t go all Queen of the Girl Scouts on us!”

“Christ, Shepard, it’s not like we’ll never see you again,” Zaeed agreed. “I reckon there’s still plenty of stuff out there needs killing, and I reckon you’ll call on me an’ Jessie to come do it when the time comes.” 

“I think it’s sweet,” Kasumi argued. She turned to Shepard and gave her a bright smile. “I’ll steal plenty of stuff in your name!”

“So no one’s retiring except Zaeed, huh?” Garrus said.

“There is no ‘retiring’ in the code,” Samara responded calmly. “But I will make time for you Commander Shepard, whenever you have need of me.” 

“Who said anything about retiring?” Zaeed protested.

Shepard chuckled and shook her head. “Well, I’ll try not to take any of you from your work again.”

“Unless the Reapers have vengeful distant cousins.” Kasumi interrupted. She pondered. “The Weepers? The Creepers?...The….”

“Here’s hoping that’s not the case,” Shepard laughed, holding up a hand to stop Kasumi. “But we are talking about a party on the Normandy once I’m out of here, even better than the one on the Citadel, and you’re all invited. I hope to see you guys then.” 

“Hell, yeah,” Jack replied, “Just make sure you all learn how to hold your liquor this time. I don’t feel like piloting our asses home across the damn galaxy.”

“Bah, I’ve been drinking since before you all were a twinkle in your daddy’s eye,” Zaeed growled.   


“And I have been drinking well before any of you humans or your ancestors ever entered space,” Samara retorted serenely. 

“Rub it in, why don’t you,” Jack replied sarcastically. “I’ll be there, Shepard. Might not be as fun without certain death hanging over our heads, though.”

“I think I’m okay with that,” Shepard remarked drily.

The group passed the rest of the visit cheerfully comparing kills from the fight with the Reapers, and how the Normandy would need to be dry-docked for repairs once more, once their party was done. In Jack’s words: “We’re gonna tear that bitch up!”

* * *

  
Javik and James happened to come by late one afternoon when Shepard had just finished a tough but rewarding physical therapy session.

“I made it across the parallel bars by myself,” Shepard crowed. Then she looked a little embarrassed. “Never thought I’d be proud of doing something as simple as walking.”

“You should be, Lola.” James said, slapping Shepard’s leg. She winced a little, but James didn’t notice. “You beat the crap out of those pendejos, and you lived to walk another day. Not everyone gets to say that.” 

“I never thought I would see a day without the Reapers,” Javik said, looking out Shepard’s window.

“I imagine these past few months have been pretty surreal for you,” Shepard remarked gently.

“It is good to have closure, Commander. And it felt good to avenge my people.”

“What will you do now?” Garrus asked.

“What people all over the galaxy will do. What my people lost the chance to do. Live.” Javik answered. He turned towards the trio. “If you are asking about specifics...I do not know. I shall live and die surrounded by primitives.” He snorted, but then his expression softened. “Primitives who did what my cycle could not.”

“You’re welcome to stay on the ship as crew,” Shepard offered. Truthfully, she didn’t know what the Alliance had planned for her or the Normandy, but also knew damn well they weren’t grounding her again, or taking her ship. The Normandy and its crew were hers.

“I may do that,” Javik allowed. “I have decided I will help the asar...Liara with her book. To do so, I will go wherever she goes, at least until it is complete.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Shepard replied. “I think the galaxy will be very interested to hear directly from a prothean.” She turned to James. “What about you? Technically you’re not an officially recognized member of the crew, at least not by the Alliance.”

“Not yet I’m not,” James scoffed, “but I will be, just watch. I’m going to complete my N7 training, and then I’m going to apply to join you on the Normandy. You know there’s no Normandy without me, Lola.” He grinned cockily. 

Shepard clasped hands with James and shook firmly. “I’ll be happy to welcome you back,” she told him. 

James grinned, then got up and stretched. “Well, we better hit the road, Javier”

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Javick hissed back.

Garrus and Shepard laughed. “Javier?” Garrus queried. 

James shrugged. “It suits him.” He and Javik made their way out of the room, but at the door, James covertly signalled at Garrus to follow him.

“Oh, I meant to ask James something,” Garrus told a slightly bemused Shepard, before hurrying out of the room after James. He caught up to them further down the hall.

“You go ahead, Javier,” James called to Javik, who bared his teeth but didn’t respond.

When he had turned the corner, James turned back to Garrus. “So, I haven’t heard from you since you asked me about, you know.” He crossed his arms and eyed Garrus interestedly. 

“I’ve been waiting for the right moment,” Garrus replied sheepishly. “It’ll be soon, though. I’ve been waiting until she can walk again, and she almost can.”

“You got what I told you to get?” James quizzed. 

“I did,” Garrus confirmed. In fact, it was heavy in his pocket right at that moment; he hadn’t wanted to take it out in case the right moment suddenly appeared and he didn’t have it. 

James grinned and clapped Garrus on the arm. “Then you’re all set! I better be the first to know when it happens though, hear me?”

“Sure, Vega.” Garrus answered, and the two men exchanged the cozy smile of people sharing a very juicy secret. 


	4. Reflections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrus has a surprise planned for Shepard.

Shepard tried many times to get in contact with Joker, to no avail.

“He’s been with me since the very beginning,” Shepard sighed to Garrus one night after another failed attempt. “I don’t want to lose him like this.”

They were in a skycar on their way...somewhere. Garrus hadn’t said, he had just told Shepard to come along. Any day now, she would be discharged. She could walk on her own again, albeit shakily, and the hospital staff told her that as long as she kept working on her strengthening exercises, she would be able to continue her career in the Alliance as well as she had before.

“Give him time, Shepard,” Garrus soothed, resting a hand on Shepard’s thigh. “He might still forgive you with space and distance from it all.”

“I guess you’re right,” Shepard replied, though she still sounded dejected. Garrus side-eyed her and squeezed her thigh gently.

“Don’t you want to know where we’re going?” He asked, in an attempt to distract her. 

“I was under the impression it was a surprise,” Shepard replied, a ghost of her old playful smirk on her lips.

“Oh, it is,” Garrus remarked with a smirk of his own. “But you can still guess.”

Shepard glanced down at the dress Garrus had brought for her and told her to wear; it was the same one she had worn on the Citadel. She then glanced at Garrus, who was out of armor and in the same suit he had worn for their tango date. 

“Dinner?” She guessed. She glanced out the window, noting the beginning of sunset. “It’s a little early, though.”

“Later,” Garrus replied, agreeing. “But not right now.”

“Are there even any restaurants that serve food you can eat around here?” Shepard teased.

“You’d be surprised,” was all Garrus allowed as he continued flying. 

Shepard sat back and continued thinking. “Dancing?” She asked. 

Garrus side-eyed her until she laughed. “Okay, I guess I’m not quite ready to tango again with you just yet.” She conceded.

“No, but under different circumstances, that would be a good idea,” Garrus replied. He pulled the skycar into a docking bay, and Shepard noticed the Normandy immediately. 

She turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t think the hospital is quite ready for me to leave yet. I don't think the Alliance has given clearance for the Normandy to leave either, come to think of it. At least, they better not have.”

“Relax, Shepard, we’re not going for a joyride,” Garrus responded, pulling the skycar down into the lot. “We’re just going inside for a little while.” He landed the skycar, parked it, and opened the doors. He quickly got out and crossed over to Shepard’s side to help her out. 

“It’ll be good to see the old girl again,” Shepard allowed as she leaned on Garrus for support. “I haven’t seen it since…”

“You ordered me an evac and told me goodbye,” Garrus finished. There was a pause. “I still haven’t completely forgiven you for that, you know.” Seeing Shepard’s expression, he held up a hand. “I understand why you did it. I just, wish you hadn’t sometimes. I think about what would have happened if that had been the last time we spoke, and…” Garrus stopped, a hard lump in his throat. He swallowed it down and continued. “If you had died that day, I don’t think I could have ever forgiven myself for not being by your side to the last.”

“Garrus…” Shepard murmured. She closed her eyes, and leaned into his solid, warm figure. “I’m sorry. I did what I needed to do, but I’m still sorry.” She looked down at her feet, which were hesitant, trembling, but moving forward. “I don’t know what saved me that day. Why I lived when so many others didn’t. But...I’m happy.” She looked up at him, and gave him a tremulous smile. “I’m happy I lived. And I’m happy we found each other again.”

Garrus’ heart swelled, and he kissed the top of Shepard’s head. “Almost there,” he said, as they approached the Normandy. 

As they entered the ship, Shepard noticed how dark and quiet it was. “Is the crew gone?” She asked Garrus.

“I, ah, asked them all to take the night off,” Garrus replied, sounding a little nervous and awkward.

Shepard raised her eyebrows and smirked a little, but all she said was, “That so?” and they continued on to the bridge. 

She gazed around as Garrus left her briefly to get the lights on. “Mm, it’ll be good to be behind this again,” she remarked, as she ran her hands lightly over the galaxy map interface, making the lights flicker at her touch. 

“Soon,” Garrus responded as he came back over and took Shepard’s arm once more. They made their way onto the elevator.

“Down or up?” She asked him, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

“Down...for now,” Garrus replied teasingly. 

Shepard pressed the appropriate button and the elevator made its way down to the crew deck. When the elevator doors opened, Shepard was immediately greeted with the Memorial Wall. She walked over slowly, Garrus trailing behind her, and gazed at the wall. 

_ Too many names,  _ she thought, and she tried to remind herself that they weren’t her fault. She touched the wall lightly, tracing all of the names with the tip of her finger as their faces flooded her mind. The two most recent was where she ended up. Admiral Anderson was in the center of the wall, and Shepard felt her eyes mist over as she remembered his last moments, his last words.  _ “You did good, child. You did good. I’m proud of you.”  _ She wondered if he still would be as she got to the last name, the last casualty. The one she  _ was _ at fault for.

“EDI,” Shepard whispered, and she hoped for a second that EDI’s voice would come over the intercom. But it didn’t.

Garrus came behind Shepard and put his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t try to say anything; he knew she was going to blame herself for EDI’s death no matter what he said. So instead he let her take as long as she needed, to grieve, and to remember. 

After a while, Shepard shook herself from the past, giving one final lingering look at the wall. “Where to next?” She asked Garrus.

“Not much further,” Garrus replied, taking hold of Shepard’s arm again. He led her away from the Memorial Wall and to his old haunt, the Main Battery. He opened the door, and they stepped in, the door closing silently behind them.

Shepard looked around, and not noticing anything different, was confused. “Er, so, was there a reason you had us dress up to go to the Main Battery? No judgement, just seems a little…”

“Strange?” Garrus supplied.

Shepard laughed lightly. “Yeah, just a little.”

“You mean you’ve already forgotten?” Garrus asked teasingly. He drew Shepard against him. “This was where our love story began.”

“You mean where I asked if you wanted to test your reach and my flexibility?” Shepard giggled. “Very romantic.” 

“Yeah, I guess both of us are kind of awkward when it comes to confessing feelings,” Garrus remarked with a chuckle, before looking down into Shepard’s eyes. “I hope I’ve improved since then, though.”

“Definitely,” Shepard responded tenderly, and she leaned up to kiss him.

_ Now or never,  _ Garrus thought, his palms feeling sweaty and nerves making his stomach flip. He stepped away gently from Shepard, holding her hands in his own. She gave him a questioning look, but her hands squeezed his in a gesture of trust.

“Shepard…” Garrus began, but his voice was a little strangled. He cleared his throat, and tried again. “Shepard, we’ve been through so much together. We’ve seen the entire galaxy together, watched each other’s back in countless firefights, achieved so many victories by working together. Against all odds, we found each other and fell in love. And against all odds, including certain death, we’re here together now.You aren’t just my true love, you’re my partner, my fellow soldier, my best friend, and I never want to be parted again. I want to spend the rest of our lives together, whether that means following each other into battle or raising a family together in peace. So with that in mind…” Remembering what James told him, Garrus kneeled down on one knee, and reached into his pocket. 

Shepard watched him with eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. When Garrus pulled out the ring box, she gave a little whimper, and drew one hand away to cover her mouth as tears began to fill her eyes. 

Garrus opened the ring box, revealing a dainty silver band set with a shimmering blue sapphire.

“Shepard, my love, my partner, my life...will you marry me?” 

“Oh Garrus,” Shepard cried, squeezing his hand as her tears flowed freely now and a smile broke across her face, bright as the sun. “Yes. Yes, yes,  _ yes _ .”

Garrus smiled tenderly, and gently slipped the ring onto the appropriate hand and finger James had told him to. That done, he stood, and Shepard launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as her feet left the ground. Garrus grabbed her waist and held her tight against him, burying his face into her neck as he held her, his future wife. 

As Shepard drew away finally, she looked at the ring on her finger with wonder lighting her eyes. “We’re getting married,” she couldn’t help but giggle. She felt like a young girl, the kind she never got a chance to be. 

“Yes we are,” Garrus replied, brushing a piece of hair out of Shepard’s face as he smiled at her. He loved seeing this side of her, the side that wasn’t the great Commander Shepard. Just Shepard, a young woman in love. 

“We’re getting married!” She yelped again, unable to resist. She laughed and grabbed Garrus’ face, and the two exchanged a passionate kiss. 

Garrus kissed her back eagerly, his heart so full it felt like it might burst open in his chest. When their lips broke apart, he held her close and murmured in her ear, “Welcome back home, Shepard.”

For here, on the Normandy in Garrus’ arms, was truly Shepard’s home. She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew that much- that she was home. Finally, she was home. 


	5. An End, Once and For All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A true epilogue for Shepard, Garrus, and all their friends.

Like it always seems to do, life went on, and this time, it was free from the Reapers. The galaxy had a lot of rebuilding to do, and a lot of losses to grieve, but much to celebrate as well. 

Shortly after she learned to walk on her own, Shepard’s survival was officially announced. The Alliance gave her command of the Normandy again; it would serve as the newly-titled Admiral Shepard’s personal flagship for the fleet she would be given control of. It was the least they could do, nearly everyone agreed. Shepard herself was honored, but knew that there was something she had to do before she took up the reins of Admiral. 

She asked for Joker until one day, he decided to come. That first visit was mainly him yelling at Shepard, which she patiently took, as she knew being yelled at was the least she deserved. The moment of truth was when Joker asked her if it had been Garrus’ life on the line, would she have made the same decision? Shepard had to admit that she probably wouldn’t have. While she thought this would truly drive Joker away, it in fact paved the way for forgiveness. It took many more visits before Shepard convinced Joker to resume his position as the Normandy’s pilot, and a few years before Joker would call her a friend again, but eventually he did. 

He never forgot EDI. Shepard gifted him the miniature EDI Tali had given to her when Joker agreed to come back on as pilot, and Joker kept it in the cockpit at his side. When no one was around, he would press the button on her back and listen to her voice. Somewhere along the way, this act stopped breaking his heart, and instead made him smile and remember.

Eventually, Joker found love again, in the new shuttle pilot that replaced Steve Cortez. Witty and daring, Stella Holbrooke was more than a match for Joker both in personality and flying talent, and gradually, she helped heal his broken heart. They got married, and chose to remain child-free as they stayed faithfully on with the Normandy as she continued to traverse the skies, piloting side by side. 

The reason Cortez left the Normandy in the first place, allowing Stella to join the crew, was because he too found love again, in the arms of Kaidan Alenko. The two men married a few years after the Reapers were defeated, and took jobs in the Alliance that allowed them to stay on Earth. They ended up adopting an orphaned human child and living out their days quietly, however they always stayed in touch with the former Normandy crew and with Shepard, who was very happy for them.

Traynor, however, decided that ship life was for her. She was no longer content to sit in labs, and instead wanted more experience in the field. She remained on the Normandy and served faithfully. She ended up finding love in one of the very gay bars Steve had offered to take her to, with another Alliance member- Private Gemma Aberdeen. The women were kept largely separate due to their careers; Gemma served on another fleet. However, they kept their long-distance relationship alive, and after years of dating, were married. Gemma was offered a position on the Normandy, and until their retirement from the Alliance, the couple stayed on and served together. 

On the topic of the Normandy, there was one person who stayed even longer than Shepard herself, and that was James Vega. His request to be officially instituted as Normandy crew was approved by the Alliance (who were perhaps just a  _ little  _ pressured by Shepard,) and true to his word, he joined after his N7 training and became Shepard’s second-in-command. After she made the decision to retire from ship life, Shepard passed the ship on to James, and he assumed the helm of Commander. He served in the Alliance until the day he died; because of this, he never settled down, though he did have a son. His son followed in his father’s footsteps as an Alliance soldier once he was of age, making James very proud. 

Not everyone could stay on the ship, however. Liara left the crew to continue her work as the Shadow Broker, though she remained in contact with her former crew members, and used her vast information network to help keep them all safe. She did end up writing a book about protheans with the help of Javik, and it was a huge and instant hit. The two went on a galaxy-wide book tour, and in that span of time and against their former conflict, they fell in love. They ended up marrying and having three children- in a way, the protheans were given a new chance at life. Javik never attempted to get Liara to leave her line of work, but she made that decision when she got pregnant for the first time. She faked her death as the Shadow Broker in one last dramatic and exciting move, before settling down and resuming her work as an archaeologist. With the help of Javik she was already a prothean expert, so she expanded her range of interest to other extinct races, and to the Reapers themselves. Javik contented himself with having gotten a second chance, and spent the rest of his life at Liara’s side, basking in her love and the curiosity of the “primitives'' about him. 

Wrex and Grunt returned to Tuchanka and helped with the rebuilding efforts. Wrex stayed in power until he died of natural causes at a very old age, and in his time created a new and wonderful utopia for the krogan. With the help of his alien friends and his own work in the war, he secured new planets for the krogan, and his species boomed in population, both because of the eradication of the genophage and because of the serious work Wrex put in to improving life for all of the krogan. He had untold amounts of children, though his closest relationship was with his eldest son with Bakara, Mordin. Grunt was Wrex’s loyal right-hand man, and he assumed the role of leader when Wrex passed. He also had many children, and he continued on Wrex’s great work. Under the rule of these two, the korgan became as respected in the galaxy as they were feared, and they regained their spot in council space and affairs. 

Tali returned to her people, and helped in the reconstruction process. She, like many of the other quarians, mourned the geth and their sacrifice, something she told Shepard she never thought she would do. After much discussion among the quarians, it was decided that the geth would not be revived. They did not want to repeat their mistakes, and they did not want the deaths of the geth to be somehow invalidated through their resurrection. Tali was key in arguing against the revival of the geth, and she marveled over the fact that her decision was based on her compassion for the geth, rather than her old hatred and fear. Instead, the geth were honored, and the quarians remembered them always for their help and sacrifice. Tali eventually got her house on Rannoch. She also found love there, with an ambitious turian architect named Janus who had come to help with the rebuilding of Tali’s homeworld (the fact that he was a turian surprised no one, given her rather obvious former crush on Garrus.) Janus moved to Rannoch after his work was complete, and he and Tali married. Biology was  _ just  _ compatible enough that the two managed to have a turian-quarian hybrid baby, and they lived happily on the quarian homeworld together as a family. 

Miranda finally was able to build a relationship with her sister Oriana, now that the threat of their father was gone. She traveled the galaxy doing all sorts of exciting things, but always made time to come back and see her beloved sister. Unfortunately, because of Miranda’s extensive genetic modification, she was unable to ever have children of her own, something she wanted desperately. To fill this void, she threw herself into her work. She never married, but did end up adopting a human child of her own in her later years, and proved a doting, loving mother. 

Jacob didn’t get to propose to Brynn under the cherry blossoms of the Citadel because of its destruction in the war, but he managed to propose shortly after their daughter Carrie turned one in a way that was more than satisfactory for both parties. Jacob chose to rejoin the Alliance, and Brynn also joined. They were stationed together at an Alliance lab and lived a relatively happy and peaceful life, having a whopping five children together total. Despite his worries, Jacob proved to be an excellent father. 

Samara resumed her work as a justicar, though she allowed herself more time to visit her only surviving daughter, Falere, at the monastery. With Samara’s help, the monastery was rebuilt and Falere became the head of the new generation of Ardat-Yakshi sent to live there. When not with her daughter, Samara continued to grow her renown through various missions, some of which were with Shepard; Samara kept her promise to her old friend and was always there when Shepard needed her. She never fell back in love or produced more children, and she died an old justicar, upholding the code that she so respected and followed. 

Jack continued to teach at Grissom Academy, and achieved great success there with her students. At Shepard’s urging, she began therapy and gradually began the healing process from her traumatic childhood. When not teaching, she helped root out remaining Cerberus cells, and was a fierce and outspoken protector of biotically-gifted children. She never had children or married, but she was never lonely either. Between those who came and went from her love life, her students, and her friends from the Normandy, Jack finally found a place to settle and feel loved and safe. 

Kasumi continued her work as a thief; although Shepard never heard about it directly, she knew when she heard of grand heists that had gone unsolved, that Kasumi was likely involved. Kasumi continued her life in the shadows until her death. She never moved on from Keiji, and when she died, she was found clutching his gray box. Plenty of thieves followed Kasumi, but not one ever surpassed her. 

Zaeed for the most part retired. He still killed when the need arose and still took odd jobs here and there when they caught his eye or he needed the extra money, but for the most part he enjoyed the rest of his life in the debauchery he so loved. He died unmarried with no acknowledged children, asleep on a beach in Illium, which suited him just fine. 

As for Shepard and Garrus, their stories continued intertwined. The two married in a small and intimate ceremony with the support of all of their friends and Garrus’ family, his father having liked Shepard after all, despite Garrus’ predictions. When the Normandy finally left Earth, Shepard was once again at the helm, and Garrus was at her side. He was permitted to stay on the ship as the “official liaison” between the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy. 

Shepard for the most part enjoyed being Admiral. She liked the honor it entailed and being able to bring aboard anyone she pleased, however she wasn’t as crazy about the responsibility and the decreased amount of time she was able to spend actively on missions herself. Still, she was happy with her position in life, and she performed as well an Admiral as she had a Commander.

In her recovery, Shepard regained most of her old functioning, though she was left with a slight limp and new facial scarring. It was a small price to pay in her eyes, however, for the third chance at life she had been given. She knew that she was lucky, and she had no intention of wasting this go-around. That was why, after five more years at the Normandy helm, Shepard stepped down. Much as she loved being in the Alliance, she was ready for the next part of her life. She remained an Admiral, but moved to a more administrative position in the Alliance. Garrus became an important member of the Hierarchy by continuing his work as the go-between for the Hierarchy and the human race, and the two settled on Earth. Shepard missed ship life, and leaving hadn’t been an easy decision to make, but it was still the right one. Life goes on, you’ll recall, whether we are ready for it or not. 

The next part of their life, and part of their settling down, was becoming parents. Biology would  _ not  _ cooperate for the two, as Shepard had predicted, so the couple adopted. No krogan children became Shepard-Vakarians, despite what Garrus had said. After the Genophage, no krogan was willing to let a child go into alien hands. Instead, they adopted a human baby boy they named David Thane Shepard-Vakarian, and a turian baby girl they named Soleira EDI Shepard-Vakarian. The two were adopted at the same time and raised as twins, and the little family became quite famous; Shepard and Garrus’ relationship and their children were touted all over the galaxy as paragons of inter-species love and family. 

Over all the years, the couple kept in touch with their former crew, who had become both friends and family. Every year, they made a point to get together, and once spouses and children were included, the parties got quite large. Nevertheless, they all kept in contact. They may have all gone their separate ways, but they refused to forget their Normandy family.

As for Shepard and Garrus, the two proved to be the kind of couple who only fell more in love as time went on. There were ups and downs- there always are- but for the most part the two lived very happy lives together. As they always had, they watched each other’s backs, explored the galaxy, and did what they could to make it a better place, even if only slightly. 

Because of their efforts, the galaxy enjoyed a peace and safety it had never had before. Their friends and their children could live, could have that opportunity so many had been denied. And because of their love? Cliche as it sounds, because of their love, Shepard and Garrus lived happily ever after, together. 

  
  
  


_ ~The End...Once and For All~ _


End file.
